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PRIVATE DOWDING
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THE DEEPER ISSUES SERIES
CHRIST IN YOU
A BOOK OF DEVOTION
SPIRITUAL RECONSTRUCTION
By the Author of “Christ in You’’
THE THINNING OF THE VEIL
A Record of Experience
Br MARY BRUCE WALLACE
With Foreword by J. Bruce Wallace, M.A.
PRIVATE DOWDING
A plain record of the after-death ex-
periences of a soldier killed in battle
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0
PRIVATE DOWDING
A PLAIN RECORD OF THE AFTER-DEATH
EXPERIENCES OF A SOLDIER KILLED IN
BATTLE AND SOME QUESTIONS ON WORLD
ISSUES ANSWERED BY THE MESSENGER
WHO TAUGHT HIM WIDER TRUTHS
With Notes by W. T. P.
NEW YORK
DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
1919
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?0 1 I <j, 1-30
. u harvard college library
v from the estate of
HANNAH P . KIMBALL
JUNE 23, 1922
Published 1919 in the U. S. A.
By Dodd, Mead and Company, Inc.
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CONTENTS
chaptee pass
Introductory Note . . . . v
I The Wilderness 1
II The Awakening 31
III The Messenger 77
Index . 97
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INTRODUCTORY NOTE
O N Monday, 11th March, 1917, 1 was
walking by the sea when I felt the
presence of some one. I looked
round; no one was in sight. All that day
I felt as if some one were following me, try-
ing to reach my thoughts. Suddenly I said
to myself, “ It is a soldier. He has been
killed in battle and wants to communicate ! ”
That evening I happened to call upon a lady
who possesses some degree of clairvoyant
power. I had forgotten about the soldier,
until she described a man dressed in khaki,
sitting in a chair near me. He was gazing
intently in my direction. She said he was
mature, wore a small moustache, and
seemed somewhat sad. Not a very intelli-
gent character apparently, but an honest
one. I came home and sat down at my writ-
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INTRODUCTORY NOTE
ing-table. Immediately my pen moved.
Did I move it? Yes, in an involuntary sort
of way. The thoughts were not my own, the
language was a little unusual. Ideas were
mainly conveyed in short simple phrases.
It would really seem as if some intelligence
outside myself were speaking through my
mind and my pen.
Some of the ideas are not in conformity
with preconceived notions of my own.
The messages I received in this manner
from “ Thomas Dowding,” recluse, school-
master, soldier, are set down exactly as they
reached me.
Further comments on these messages will
be found on pages 61-76.
W. T. P.
Bournemouth,
20th March 1917.
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PART I
THE WILDERNESS
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One great truth has become my constant compan-
ion. I sum it up thus: “Empty yourself if you
would be filled.”
Private Dotoding.
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PRIVATE DOWDING
THE WILDERNESS
12 th March 1917, 9 p.m.
I AM grateful for this opportunity.
You may not realize how much some
of us long to speak to those we have
left behind. It is not easy to get messages
through with certainty. They are so often
lost in transit or misinterpreted. Some-
times the imagination of the receiver weaves
a curious fabric round the thoughts we try
to pass down, then the ideas we want to com-
municate are either lost or disfigured.
I was a schoolmaster in a small East
Coast town before the war. I was an or-
phan, somewhat of a recluse, and I made
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PRIVATE DOWDING
friends but slowly. My name is of no im-
portance; apparently names over here are
not needed. I became a soldier in the au-
tumn of 1915, and left my narrow village
life behind. These details, however, are
really of no importance. They may act as
a background to what I have to say. I
joined as a private and died as a private.
My soldiering lasted just nine months, eight
of which were spent training in Northum-
berland. I went out with my battalion to
France in July 1916, and we went into the
trenches almost at once. I was killed by a
shell splinter one evening in August, and
I believe that my body was buried the fol-
lowing day. As you see, I hasten over these
unimportant events, important to me once,
but now of no real consequence. How we
overestimate the significance of earthly
happenings! One only realizes this when
freed from earthly ties.
4
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THE WILDERNESS
Well, my body soon became cannon fod-
der, and there were few to mourn me. It
was not for me to play anything but an
insignificant part in this world-tragedy,
which is still unfolding.
I am still myself, a person of no impor-
tance ; but I feel I should like to say a few
things before passing along. I feared death,
but then that was natural. I was timid,
and even feared life and its pitfalls. So I
was afraid of being killed and was sure
it would mean extinction. There are still
many who believe that. It is because ex-
tinction has not come to me that I want to
speak to you. May I describe my experi-
ences? Perhaps they may prove useful to
some. How necessary that some of us
should speak back across the border! The
barriers must be broken down. This is one
of the ways of doing it. Listen therefore
to what I have to say :
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PRIVATE DOWDING
Physical death is nothing. There really
is no cause for fear. Some of my pals
grieved for me. When I “ went West” they
thought I was dead for good. This is what
happened. I have a perfectly clear memory
of the whole incident. I was waiting at the
corner of a traverse to go on guard. It was
a fine evening. I had no special intimation
of danger, until I heard the whizz of a shell.
Then followed an explosion, somewhere be-
hind me. I crouched down involuntarily,
but was too late. Something struck, hard,
hard, hard, against my neck. Shall I ever
lose the memory of that hardness? It is the
only unpleasant incident that I can remem-
ber. I fell, and as I did so, without passing
through any apparent interval of unconsci-
ousness, I found myself outside myself!
You see I am telling my story simply ; you
will find it easier to understand. You will
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THE WILDERNESS
learn to know what a small incident this dy-
ing is.
Think of it ! One moment I was alive, in
the earthly sense, looking over a trench par-
apet, unalarmed, normal. Five seconds
later I was standing outside my body, help-
ing two of my pals to carry my body down
the trench labyrinth towards a dressing sta-
tion. They thought I was senseless but
alive. I did not know whether I had
jumped out of my body through shell shock,
temporarily or for ever. You see what a
small thing is death, even the violent death
of war! I seemed in a dream. I had
dreamt that some one or something had
knocked me down. Now I was dreaming
that I was outside my body. Soon I should
wake up and find myself in the traverse
waiting to go on guard. ... It all hap-
pened so simply. Death for me was a sim-
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PRIVATE DOWDING
pie experience — no horror, no long-drawn
suffering, no conflict. It conies to many in
the same way. My pals need not fear death.
Few of them do; nevertheless, there is an
underlying dread of possible extinction. I
dreaded that; many soldiers do, but they
rarely have time to think about such things.
As in my case, thousands of soldiers pass
over without knowing it. If there be shock,
it is not the shock of physical death. Shock
comes later when comprehension dawns:
“Where is my body? Surely I am not
dead ! ” In my own case I knew nothing
more than I have already related, at the
time. When I found that my two pals
could carry my body without my help, I
dropped behind ; I just followed, in a curi-
ously humble way. Humble? Yes, be-
cause I seemed so useless. We met a
stretcher party. My body was hoisted on to
the stretcher. I wondered when I should
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THE WILDERNESS
get back into it again. You see, I -was so
little “dead” that I imagined I was still
(physically) alive. Think of it a moment
before we pass on. I had been struck by a
shell splinter. There was no pain. The
life was knocked out of my body; again, I
say, there was no pain. Then I found that
the whole of myself — all, that is, that
thinks and sees and feels and knows — was
still alive and conscious! I had begun a
new chapter of life. I will tell you what I
felt like. It was as if I had been running
hard until, hot and breathless, I had thrown
my overcoat away. The coat was my body,
and if I had not thrown it away I should
have been suffocated. I cannot describe the
experience in any better way ; there is noth-
ing else to describe.
My body went to the first dressing sta-
tion, and after examination was taken to a
mortuary. I stayed near it all that night,
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PRIVATE DOWDING
watching, but without thoughts. It was as
if my being, feeling, and thinking had be-
come “ suspended ” by some Power outside
myself. This sensation came over me grad-
ually as the night advanced. I still ex-
pected to wake up in my body again — that
is, so far as I expected anything. Then I
lost consciousness and slept soundly.
No detail seems to have escaped me.
When I awoke, my body had disappeared!
How I hunted and hunted! It began to
dawn upon me that something strange had
happened, although I still felt I was in a
dream and should soon awake. My body
had been buried or burned, I never knew
which. Soon I ceased hunting for it.
Then the shock came ! It came without any
warning, suddenly. I had been killed by a
German shell! I was dead! I was no
longer alive. I had been killed, killed,
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THE WILDERNESS
killed ! Curious that I felt no shock when I
was first driven outside my body. Now the
shock came, and it was very real. I tried to
think backwards, but my memory was numb.
(It returned later.) How does it feel to be
“dead”? One can’t explain, because
there’s nothing in it ! I simply felt free and
light. My being seemed to have expanded.
These are mere words. I can only tell you
just this : that death is nothing unseemly or
shocking. So simple is the “ passing
along ” experience that it beggars descrip-
tion. Others may have other experiences to
relate of a more complex nature. I don’t
know. . . .
When I lived in a physical body I never
thought much about it. My health was fair.
I knew very little about physiology. Now
that I am living under other conditions I
remain incurious as to that through which I
express myself. By this I mean that I am
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PRIVATE DOWDING
still evidently in a body of some sort, but I
can tell yon very little about it. It has no
interest for me. It is convenient, does not
ache or tire, seems similar in formation to
my old body. There is a subtle difference,
but I cannot attempt analysis.
Let me relate my first experience after I
had somewhat recovered from the shock of
realizing I was “ dead.”
I was on, or rather above, the battlefield.
It seemed as if I were floating in a mist that
muffled sound and blurred the vision.
Through this mist slowly penetrated a dim
picture and some very low sounds. It was
like looking through the wrong end of a tel-
escope. Everything was distant, minute,
misty, unreal. Guns were being fired. It
might all have been millions of miles away.
The detonation hardly reached me; I was
conscious of the shells bursting without ac-
tually seeing them. The ground seemed
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THE WILDERNESS
very empty. No soldiers were visible. It
was like looking down from above the
clouds, yet that doesn’t exactly express it
either. When a shell that took life ex-
ploded, then the sensation of it came much
nearer to me. The noise and tumult came
over the border line with the lives of the
slain. A curious way of putting it. All
this time I was very lonely. I was con-
scious of none near me. I was neither in
the world of matter nor could I be sure I
was in any place at all ! Just simply con-
scious of my own existence in a state of
dream. I think I fell asleep for the second
time, and long remained unconscious and in
a dreamless condition.
• ••••••
At last I awoke. Then a new sensation
came to me. It was as if I stood on a pin-
nacle, all that was essential of me. The rest
receded, receded, receded. All appertain-
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PRIVATE DOWDING
ing to bodily life seemed to be dropping
away down into a bottomless abyss. There
was no feeling of irretrievable loss. My
being seemed both minute and expansive
at the same time. All that was not really
me slipped down and away. The sense of
loneliness deepened.
• #•••••
I do not find it easy to express myself. If
the ideas are not clear, that is not your
fault. You are setting down just what I
impress upon you. How do I know this?
I cannot see your pen, but I see my ideas as
they are caught up and whirled into form
within your mind. By “ form ” perhaps I
mean words. Others may not feel this lone-
liness. I cannot tell whether my experi-
ences are common to many in a like position.
When I first “ awoke ” this second time, I
felt cramped. This is passing and a sense
of real freedom comes over me. A load has
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THE WILDERNESS
dropped away from me. I think my new
faculties are now in working order. I can
reason and think and feel and move.
Once I read a book abont this after-life.
It spoke of “planes” and “bodies” and
“cycles” and “auras.” I think a man
named Sinnett or Symons wrote it. It pur-
ported to deal with the history and geog-
raphy of this after-life. I cannot confirm
its descriptions from my own experience.
I am simply myself, alive, in a region where
food and drink seem unnecessary. Other-
wise “life” is strangely similar to earth
life. A “ continuation,” but with more free-
dom. I have no more to say just now.
Will you let me return another time and
use your mind again? I shall be so grate-
ful.
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13 th March 1917, 8 p.m.
You are kind to me. Yon loan me a
power I do not possess any longer — the
power to convey information to my human
fellows on earth.
I can use yonr mind freely because I see
you have deliberately chained your imagina-
tion, and so I can impress yon freely and
clearly.
From this you may notice that I am a
little farther along my new road. I have
been helped. Also I have recovered from
the “shock,” not of my transition but of
my recognition of it. This is no subtility, it
is simply what I mean. I. am no longer
alone — I have met my dear brother. He
came out here three years ago and has come
down to welcome me. The tie between us is
strong. William could not get near me for
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THE WILDERNESS
a long time, he says. The atmosphere was
so thick. He hoped to reach me in time to
avert the “ shock ” to which I have referred,
hut found it impossible.
He is working among the newly arrived
and has wide experience.
A good deal of what follows came to me
from him; I have made it my own, and so
can pass it on. You see, I am still possessed
with the desire to make my experience, my
adventure, of help to others who have not
yet arrived here. It appears that there are
Rest Halls in this region, specially prepared
for newly arrived pilgrims. I shall use
your language. We can only convey our
experiences approximately. To describe
conditions here in words is quite impos-
sible. Please remember this. My brother
helped me into one of these Rest Halls.
Confusion at once dropped away from me.
Never shall I forget my happiness. I sat
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PRIVATE DOWDING
in the alcove of a splendid domed hall. The
plashing of a fountain reached my tired
being and soothed me. The fountain
“played” music, colour, harmony, bliss.
All discordancies vanished and I was at
peace. My brother sat near me. He could
not stay long, but promised to return. I
wanted to find you at once to tell you I had
found peace, but it is only now that I could
do so. On earth, the study of crystal forma-
tions was a great hobby of mine. To my in-
tense delight I discovered that this splendid
hall was constructed according to the law of
crystal formations. I spent hours in exam-
ining various parts of it. I shall spend
hours and days and weeks there. I can con-
tinue my studies and make endless discov-
eries. What happiness! When I have re-
gained a state of poise, my brother says I
may help him in his work outside. I am in
no hurry for this.
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THIS WILDERNESS
You evidently know nothing about crys-
tals. I cannot impress your mind with the
wonders of this place. What a pity ! This
place is so different from any earthly edifice
that I fear it is useless to attempt descrip-
tion. As it is, people will say I am romanc-
ing. Or else they will say that you, my
faithful scribe, have let your imagination
run away with you. Please let me return
again later. I still have much to say.
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14 th March 1917, 5 p.m.
I am beginning to meet people and to ex-
change ideas. Strange that the only person
I came across for a long time was my
brother. He tells me that I have never been
really alone. The mist around me, shutting
me off, has emanated from myself, he says.
This fact rather humiliates me. I suppose
my loneliness of life and character whilst on
earth have followed me here. I always
lived in books, they were my real world.
And even then, my reading was technical
rather than general.
I begin to see now that my type of mind
would find itself isolated, or rather would
emanate isolation, when loosed from earthly
trammels. I shall remain near earth condi-
tions whilst learning lessons I refused to
learn before.
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THE WILDERNESS
It is dangerous to live to and for oneself.
Tell this to my fellows with emphasis. The
life of a recluse is unwise, except for the
very few who have special work that re-
quires complete silence and isolation. I
was not one of these. I cannot remember
doing anything really worth while. I never
looked outside myself.
My school? Well, teaching bored me. I
simply did it to . earn my bread and cheese.
People will say I was unique, a crabby, self-
ish old bachelor. Selfish yes, but alas ! far
from being unique. I was thirty-seven
when I came over here — that is, my body
was. Now I feel so ignorant and humble
that I don’t feel I’ve begun to have any age
at all.
I must dwell on this. Live widely.
Don’t get isolated. Exchange thoughts and
services. Don’t read too much. That was
my mistake. Books appealed to me more
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PRIVATE DOWDING
than life or people. I am now suffering for
my mistakes. In passing on these details of
my life I am helping to free myself.
What a good thing the war dragged me
out into life! In those nine months I
learned more about human nature than I
had conceived possible. Now I am learning
about my poor fossilized old self. It is a
blessing I came here. Though I do not re-
gret, I like to hear what is going on in the
region you inhabit. It seems a long way off
already. I told my brother I wanted news
about events on earth. He took me to visit
an old gentleman who had been editor of a
newspaper. Why do I call him “old”?
Because he died at eighty-one and has not
thrown off earth conditions yet. He there-
fore surrounds himself with these condi-
tions. His son on earth runs the paper, a
French journal. The old man can read his
son’s thoughts and so divines the world’s
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THE WILDERNESS
news through his son’s mind. He has built
himself an office, full of telephones and tape
machines. These machines are in a way
illusory, but they please the old gentleman.
He received me courteously, and insisted on
hearing details of my crossing. He was dis-
appointed that I did not know his paper by
name or reputation, and surprised that I
knew so little about earthly affairs. “I
want to get back. I cannot get along with-
out my paper. My son often uses my ideas
in his editorials without knowing it.” This
fact was the cause of much amusement to
him. I asked him for some current news.
This is what he told me : —
“ Something interesting is going on, for
my son stays at the office all night. There
is ‘war as usual.’ There is some commo-
tion about food. I saw Guilbert writing an
article for the paper on ‘ World Shortage.’
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PRIVATE DOWDING
England seems to be scared about it. They
have suddenly remembered the existence of
the land they are fighting for, and they are
digging it about. Something must have
stopped food supplies or destroyed them.
“ Food seems more important now than
shells. The rest of the world seems coming
into the war — at least, Guilbert thinks so.
“I see an article headed ‘America and
China.’ Are they short of food too, or are
they to fight? I think they are going to
side with France. Turkey must be having a
bad time. I see the headlines ‘ Turkish D6-
Mcle.’ Guilbert seems full of excitement
about Russia. I see into his mind. He is
evolving an article on ‘ Russia : the Com-
ing World Power.’ Russia must have won
a big victory somewhere. Yes, I think the
war is going on all right. Our circulation
has increased again, but, alas! Guilbert
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THE WILDERNESS
cannot get enough paper. I wish I were
down there. I would have laid in a big
stock months ago.”
The old gentleman was still rambling on
about his paper and its prospects when I
came away. How awful to be chained to an
earthly property like that! Tell people to
control their worldly interests from outside.
If you identify yourself heart and soul with
some material project or undertaking, you
will find it hanging on to you over here.
It will obsess you, blot out the view, make
progress impossible. This old French edi-
tor came over a good many years ago. He
still lives on earth in mind, so far as he is
allowed to do so. Take a bird’s-eye, dis-
passionate view of all your worldly inter-
ests. Master them or they will master you.
In the latter case, when you get here you
will be miserable. Life will seem empty, a
wilderness. Earth ties will tighten their
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PRIVATE DOWDING
grip, yet you will be unable to respond.
Confusion will result — that is purgatory.
There are many forms. Each of us cre-
ates his own purgatorial conditions. If I
had my time over again how differently I
should lire my life ! I was not one of those
who lived only for the purpose of satisfying
ambition. Money was a secondary consider-
ation. Yes, I erred at the other extreme, for
I neither lived enough among, my fellow-men
nor interested myself sufficiently in their
affairs. Well, I have created my own pur-
gatory. I must live through it somehow.
Good-night I will return again.
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14 th March 1917, 8 p.m.
I want to tell you what I have been doing.
On returning to my alcove in the Rest Hall
I found some one else there.
He told me he was a messenger from an-
other sphere, higher up. Certainly wisdom
shone from his eyes. I think he had just
come in for a little quiet. I made as if to
go away, but he beckoned me back. “ You
are speaking to earth. Do not hurry to de-
scribe your new life and surroundings.
Take my advice : do a little living first.” . . .
I think he saw surprise in my face. “ Do
you know,” he continued, “that most of
what you have conveyed to your friend at
the matter end of the line is quite illusory? ”
— “What do you mean?” I cried. — “You
will gradually find out for yourself. Re-
member what I have just said.” This con-
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PRIVATE DOWDING
versation has perturbed me. I try to dis-
miss it from my mind, but it sticks. It
makes me feel smaller still. Am I really
the fool rushing in where angels fear to
tread? After all, what do I know about my
present life? I have not mastered the nat-
ural laws of this place. I have not even
mastered myself. I remember meeting a
man in a railway train when I was a young
student in London. He was full of the
theory that all “ phenomenal ” life, as he
termed it, was merely illusion. He called it
“ maya.” I thought the fellow mad. He
said he had read up the whole subject at the
British Museum. How I scoffed ! Now
that I come to look back upon my “phe-
nomenal ” life on earth, I begin to see that it
consisted mainly of “ maya ” ! A long chain
of illusory episodes with my poor little self
in the centre. Was there anything perma-
nent in the earth conditions through which
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THE WILDERNESS
I passed during my thirty-seven years? I
begin to think not. That idea does not
worry me any longer. My past illusions
may be buried out of sight with my body,
for all I care.
I don’t like to think that my impressions
about myself and my present life are mere
illusions too ! That rankles. It humili-
ates. Unfortunately, I fear it may be true.
I have given the matter much thought. Evi-
dently I am in a state of consciousness not
far removed from earthly existence. I am
journeying towards a wider, truer life, but I
am not yet there. I have no right to speak
with any authority of my experiences here.
I am ashamed of having troubled you. One
thought consoles me. If this really is a
state of illusion, or illusory ideas, in which
I find myself — well, others must pass
through it too. Perhaps the ideas I have
tried to express may help some of those who
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PRIVATE DOWDING
are not yet here. Anyway, my life seems
quite as real as it did on earth, even more
real. There is something that lives and
moves within me that is not illusion. That
something will forge its way out into the
light some day. I can but go on trying.
Meanwhile perhaps I had better not come to
you again. Let me thank you for your pa-
tience. You have helped me through diffi-
cult purgatorial hours. I may return. I
do not know. Meanwhile . . . Good-night.
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PART II
THE AWAKENING
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If 'you would dwell In peace, learn to love deeply.
Private Downing,
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THE AWAKENING
I HARDLY expected to hear from my
soldier friend again. I had asked
him previously why he enlisted so early
in the war. He told me he was tired of be-
ing a schoolmaster, and the war fever would
not leave him alone. Never have I met any
one less like a soldier ! The poor man must
have endured much hardship during his
training, owing to his very sensitive and re-
tiring disposition. He had told me that his
name was Thomas Dowding, that in earth
life he was a little short-sighted, prema-
turely grey at thirty-six, and that he walked
with a stoop. One wonders how he came to
be accepted in those early days of the war,
when so much fine physical material was
available. He was evidently a scholar in his
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way; apparently well read in science and
mathematics. All his acquired learning
seems to hare dropped from him at “ death,”
and he becomes a little child groping his
way amidst strange surroundings; lonely,
bewildered. It is not easy to believe that I
have imagined the whole of this experience ;
that Private Dowding is a figment without
reality. This explanation is possible. I do
not wish to brush it aside lightly, but it does
not appeal to me. I can but record the ex-
perience as it came to me, and let my readers
judge.
I now set down the next series of notes ex-
actly as they reached me :
yv. t. p.
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16th March 1917, 5 p.m.
You will be surprised. I did not expect
to speak to you again. I will tell you how it
has come about.
I have met the “ Messenger ” again. I
fancy he was looking for me. He wanted
to know how I was getting on. I told him I
had broken off communication with my
earth friend, on his advice. He said he had
been speaking to my brother and had learnt
my history. My brother had told him how
much consolation I derived from speaking
to you. He then said that perhaps he had
spoken a little hastily, without full knowl-
edge of the facts. He did not think there
would be much harm if I kept the channel
open a little longer. He impressed on me
the importance of reminding you that the
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conditions now around me are imperma-
nent, and, to that extent, unreal. From his
standpoint, the value of such messages as
these depended upon the emphasis placed on
this fact. The spiritual world is every-
where. The life of spirit is eternal, perfect,
supreme. We humans hide from the light.
We grovel among the illusions created by
our thoughts. We surround ourselves with
misconceptions. We refuse to rise into the
Christ Sphere. The Christ Sphere is every-
where, and yet, by some strange paradox, we
are able to shut it out from view. All these
thoughts were new to me. I begin to see
what is meant. If I did not do so, I could
not pass the ideas on. You say these
thoughts are quite familiar to you. I am
surprised at this. What a little world I
have been living in !
This Messenger evidently came from the
Christ Sphere. Religion never meant much
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THE AWAKENING
to me. Now I begin to see that one cannot
live without it.
A great deal was said about reflection:
how we can clear out our own poor
thoughts and illusions and allow the Christ
power to reflect through us. Evidently this
power is wonderful. The Messenger seemed
to love to speak of it ; yet he was in awe of
it. It clears away illusions as the sun clears
away fog. He said I am still living in a fog,
a fog of my own creation and design. Well !
well ! Once I thought I knew a lot. Then
I was sure I knew a little. Now I know I
know nothing. It appears that the war is
based upon an illusion. I wonder what my
old Parisian friend would say to that!
Since the Great War began, I believe people
have thought it was the only reality on
earth ! Now I am told it is all based on —
illusion. I am told that lust for wealth (of
one material kind or another) was the real
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cause of the war. Nevertheless, as a result
of the war, all the nations engaged will be
far poorer than they were before.
This idea had not crossed my mind. I
was told another thing. Your war down
there is being turned into a celestial instru-
ment. It was put to me like this. Material
forces are becoming exhausted — that is to
say, the more they are used the less they
achieve. Strange thought ! People will
realize that material force leads nowhere, is
indeed an illusion. I cannot quite grasp
the idea yet.
Apparently the impotent clash of conflict-
ing material forces is creating a kind of
vacuum. The Messenger said this fact im-
plied a supreme mystery. Into this vacuum
spiritual power is to be poured and poured.
He had seen with his own eyes the Reser-
voirs. He spoke of these Reservoirs with
bated breath. The light of Heaven is re-
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fleeted in them. The Water of Life fills
them. This Life is still beyond our concep-
tion. Onr human life is but a shadow.
High beings, God's messengers, guard the
sluice gates. They await the Word of com-
mand. Then will the Water of Life be re-
leased.
Already it is available to many. Do you
remember that passage in Revelation about
the river of the Water of Life, bright as
crystal, proceeding from God?
The Messenger told me that we are enter-
ing into the period of revelations, when all
prophecies will be fulfilled. These things
are beyond me. While he was speaking, I
felt as if I were suspended in space, without
visible support. These high and holy mat-
ters are of a spiritual nature. They do not
belong to the realms of illusion. I cannot
attain to such ideas. I hardly dare to con-
template them. I pass them on because I
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believe they may justify me in keeping the
channel open between ns. If I only report
matters that interest me, connected with my
present illusory surroundings, the avenue
between us will close up. We cannot live
on the celestial heights until we have com-
pleted our work in the valleys. That is how
I feel. A friend of mine once tried to climb
Mont Blanc. He turned back long before
the summit was reached. He could not
breathe in the rarefied atmosphere. The
guides and the rest of the party went on.
Alas that I should be one of those forced “ to
turn back.” I never used my opportunities
during earth life. My spiritual nature
atrophied. You must excuse this self-analy-
sis. . . . How wonderful it must be to be
among those who never turn back! God
willing, I will begin to climb. God willing,
I too will never turn back! God willing,
the whole human race will never turn back,
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now it has begun to climb. The Messen-
ger said that a cycle was ending, that human
life had just entered an upward arc. This
conveys very little to me, but I pass it on.
... I am sad. I am worth so little. I will
come again.
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16 th Maroh 1917, 8 p.m.
When I left off speaking to you, my
brother came up. He said I needed rest.
He blamed the Messenger for telling me
more than I could stand or understand.
William took me to a Hall of Silence. I
had never been there before. Heaven’s
dome was above me. The silence of the
spheres surrounded me. The loneliness of
the desert was my only companion. There I
seemed to remain a very long time, but time
also is an illusion. The meaning behind
this word still rouses conflicting emotions
within me. Shall I be for ever the slave
of my own illusions? It is impossible to
tell. I shall visit the Hall of Silence regu-
larly. Strength and consolation came to
me within its walls. All that the Messen-
ger had said came back to me. Understand-
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ing of many truths dawned within me. One
great truth has become my constant com-
panion. I sum it up thus : “ Empty yourself
if you would be filled.” The Waters of Life
can never flow through me until I have sur-
rendered my whole self. I begin to see the
wisdom of this. To you it may convey noth-
ing. I have begun to try to pour myself
away. It is a strange experience. Jesus
talked of the children. They entered
heaven. The gateway was barred to the
wise men. Children have little to unlearn.
Although I know nothing, yet have I much
to unlearn. This is indeed a paradox.
I believe this Hall of Silence is available
to you also. Try to find the road that leads
there. War roars through your lives. The
thunder of it is everywhere. I am still un-
able to shut out its rumbling completely.
Somewhere within the soul there is silence.
Attain unto it. It is a pearl of great price.
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I speak of what I know. I do not think the
importance of silence is dwelt upon suffi-
ciently in the Christian scriptures. I never
remember being taught its vast import when
on earth. I begin to realize what is meant
by the Still small voice of God ! I am now
more myself. My brother has offered to let
met help him in his work : I am glad. Good-
night.
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nth March 1917, 5 p.m.
I have looked into hell! I may have to
return to that region. I shall be given my
choice. Grant that I may be strong enough
to offer myself freely. Hell is a thought
region. Evil dwells there and works out
its purposes. The forces used to hold man-
kind down in the darkness of ignorance are
generated in hell ! It is not a place; it is a
condition. The human race has created the
condition. It has taken millions of years to
reach its present state. I dare not tell you
what I saw there. My brother needed help.
A soldier, who had committed very evil
deeds, had been killed. I will draw a veil
over them. He was a degenerate, a mur-
derer, a sensualist. He died cursing God
and man. An awful death. This man was
drawn towards hell by the law of attraction.
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My brother had been told off to rescue him.
He took me with him. At first I refused to
go. Then I went. ... An angel of light
came to protect us, otherwise we should have
been lost in the blackness of the pit. This
sounds sensational, even grotesque. It is
the truth.
The power of evil ! Have you any idea of
its mighty strength, its lure? Can that
power be an illusion too? The angel said
so. The angel said the power of hell was
now at its supreme height. It drew its
power from man! As man rose toward
spiritual life the powers of darkness would
subside and finally become extinguished.
“ Extinguished ” is my word. The angel
said “transmuted.” That conception is
quite beyond me. We descended gloomy
avenues. The darkness grew. There was a
strange allurement about the atmosphere.
Even the angel’s light grew dim. I thought
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we were lost. At moments I hoped we were
lost. So strong is the attraction. I can-
not understand it. Something .sensual
within me leaped and burned. I thought I
had emptied myself of self before undertak-
ing this great adventure. Had I done so, I
should have been safe. As it was, I should
have been lost but for the angel’s and my
brother’s help. I felt the giant lusts of the
human race. They thrilled through me. I
could not keep them out. We descended
deeper. I say “ descended.” If hell is not
a place, how can one “ descend ”? I asked
my brother. He said we were not moving in
the physical sense. Our progress depended
on certain thought processes evoked by the
WiU.
It is all very strange to me. I now re-
member that the Messenger told me I was
not to dwell on what I saw and felt in this
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dark region. Therefore I will hurry on and
not dwell upon details. As a matter of fact,
I never reached the point where the rescue
was attempted. The angel and my brother
went on alone. I waited for their return in
what seemed to be a deep dark forest.
There was no life, no light there. One felt
stagnation everywhere. The angel said
that was the most insidious kind of hell,
stagnation, because no one recognized it as
such. Contrary to belief, hell itself, or
rather that part of it visited by my brother
and the angel, is brilliantly lighted.
The light is coarse, artificial. It keeps
out the light of God. In this awful glare
the angel’s light nearly lost its radiance.
All this my brother told me afterwards.
Those who die filled with thoughts of selfish*
ness and sensuality are attracted down the
grey avenues toward this hell of the senses.
The darkness of the deep forests appals, the
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loneliness is intense. At last, light is seen
ahead. It is not the light of heaven, it is
the lure of hell. These poor souls hasten
onwards, though not toward destruction;
there is no such thing. They hasten down
into conditions that are the counterpart of
their own interior condition. The Law is
at work. This hell is a hell of the illusions
and is itself an illusion. I find this hard
to credit. Those who enter it are led to
believe that the only realities are the sense
passions and the beliefs of the human
“I.” This hell consists in believing the
unreal to be real. It consists in the lure
of the senses without the possibility of grati-
fying them. I was told a great deal more
about this awful region, but I must not pass
it on. The angel said that the “ condition ”
would ultimately dissolve into nothingness.
Hell, apparently, or that part of it we are
speaking about, depends for its existence on
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human thoughts and feelings. The race will
never rise to greatness until the passions are
controlled. This refers to nations and to in-
dividuals. On earth I was never interested
in such matters. I did not realize the ex-
istence of the sexual canker at the heart of
human life. What a terrible thing this is !
Do not wait until you come over here. Set
to work at once. There is no time to lose.
Gain control of self. Then retain control by
emptying yourself of self. All the thoughts
of lust and passion, greed, hatred, envy, and,
above all, selfishness, passing through the
minds of men and women, generate the
“ condition ” called hell. Purgatory and
hell are different states. We all must needs
pass through a purging, purifying process
after leaving earth life. I am still in purga-
tory. Some day I shall rise above it. The
majority who come over here rise above or
rather thbough purgatory into higher con-
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ditions. A minority refuse to relinquish
their thoughts and beliefs in the pleasures
of sin and the reality of the sense life. They
sink by the weight of their own thoughts.
No outside power can attract a man against
his will. A man sinks or rises through the
action of a spiritual law of gravity. He is
never safe until he has emptied himself com-
pletely. You see how I emphasize this fact.
Some of these thoughts came to me whilst I
waited in that gloomy forest. Then the
angel and my brother returned. They had
found him for whom they sought He
would not come away. They had to leave
him there. Fear held him. He said his ex-
istence was awful, but he was afraid to move
lest worse conditions should befall him.
Fear chained him. No outside power can
unchain that man. Release will come from
within some day. Sadly we returned to our
own places. I began to realize what power
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Ring Fear holds over nearly all of us. The
angel said that Fear would be destroyed
when Love came into her own. He said the
time was coming. ... I have much to think
about. I am going into the Hall of Silence.
If I can return again, I will. Good-bye.
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nth March 1917, 8 p.m.
Soon after returning from the states of
hell I met the Messenger again. He said I
had not learned sufficient of the spiritual
life to visit such dark regions with impunity.
He took me with him toward a Mount of
Vision. The light was dazzling. No doubt
he thought such a pilgrimage would prove
an antidote to my journey toward the demon
realm. It was almost too much for me. I
can remember little of what I saw. I gazed
upon the Reservoirs of Hlumination. They
were afar off. They nearly blinded me.
The Messenger told me many things con-
cerning the manifestations of God to man.
He said a prophet of the Most High was in
charge of each of the gateways to these
Reservoirs of Light. When darkness and
ignorance grew apace among men, the
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“Word” was uttered. Then the prophet,
whose turn it was to descend among men,
made deep obeisance and opened wide his
own gateway to the Reservoirs of Light.
He descended to earthly regions that he
might guide the spreading of the new illumi-
nation. The Messenger told me that one of
these holy prophets fulfilled his divine mis-
sion during the last century. He said the
illumination then released was about to
spread through East and West. The
prophet has returned to heavenly spheres —
his work accomplished. His work would
become manifest when the war was over.
The war itself was an outward manifesta-
tion of the powers of evil in their attempt
to obstruct the inflow of the light. It was
very interesting, but beyond me. He said a
spiritual revival was destined to take place
within all the great world-faiths.
He said that unity would become estab-
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lished, that universal peace would become
an accomplished fact. He seemed to imply
that the golden era was at hand ; nearer in-
deed than we could realize. He asked me to
return to the Mount of Vision with him, but
I feel I cannot, dare not do so. I am un-
worthy. I cannot unself myself sufficiently.
Such heights are not for such as I am ! I
returned to my own place alone, by the force
of an interior gravity. But I ask you to
mark the Messenger’s words. He spoke of
what he knew. Let his words blaze forth a
channel through the minds of men.
I ask this of you : to make them known.
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18th March 1917, 8 p.m.
I have returned once more.
I cannot come again. There are several
things I want to say. I find it difficult to
tell you what they are.
I will tell you why. I am a person who
cannot pretend to teach or preach. I do not
wish to do so. I am not sure enough of my
own faith yet.
I feel it my duty to tell you something of
what the angel and the Messenger said, not;
because I understand or believe it all, but
because they have been good to me. They
have recognized my ignorance, have not
scoffed at my unworthiness. I have not
come to you to preach, to show the way to
heavenly states. I do not know my way
there, so how could I guide you? You are
probably nearer heaven than I, though still
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on earth. Because I pass on what has been
told to me, do not think lama" superior ”
person. Do not think that all I say must be
true. It may be. I cannot tell myself. I
am grateful to you for listening to me. I
am grateful to my brother for meeting me
over here. Above all, I thank God for the
Messenger who deigns to come and talk to,
me at intervals. I have met other people
over here, and have been allowed to help one
or two distressed souls. But I remain a
lonely person, working out my own salva-
tion in fear and trembling. Put fear be-
hind you ! That is one of the things I must
say — I try to do it. Fear is a power op-
posed to life ; it is the weapon of the Evil
One. It is illusion. Can you believe what
I say? Fear has no reality of its own. Its
power is generated from within ourselves.
Cast it out. Never fear again.
I want to say a few words about love —
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very few, because I know so little. Also be-
cause love is spoken about too much already,
whereas it should be lived. If you would
dwell in peace, learn to love deeply. Never
cease from loving. Jesus said a good deal
about love, if I remember rightly. Look up
what He said and live it.
Love God by pouring yourself away.
Love your fellows by giving them all you
possess of light and truth.
Love love for her own blessed sake.
Such love will bring you nearer heaven.
I have spoken about illusion several times.
I return to it once more. I begin to see that
phenomenal existence, whether on earth or
here, is so impermanent as to be unreal.
This is a hard saying. I do not yet under-
stand it.
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Live above those conditions which, after
much meditation, appear to yon to be illu-
sory. That is the best advice I can give.
The Messenger has spoken several times
about evil. I cannot entirely shake off the
effects of my visit to the lower regions,
where evil reigns as lord and king.
It appears that evil is not real or perma-
nent. Its power is permanent, but this
power can be transmuted, until it serves
ends that are divine. More than this I can-
not say, because I do not know. If you can
realize that evil has no real existence and
can be eliminated entirely from human life,
you will have learnt much. Remember
what was said about stagnation. Keep
moving in some direction all the time. How
was it that I lived so stagnantly whilst on
earth? — Let my life be an example.
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One other thought I wish to leave with
yon. The Messenger told me that we have
entered the period of revelations.' The
childhood of the race is nearly over. Vast
spiritual purifying powers are waiting to be
poured forth. Create vessels for this pur-
pose ! Make yourself a vessel that you may
receive the gift of the Spirit. You will then
require no teaching from outside. Revela-
tion will come to you from within. Retire
into the Hall of Silence. Think on these
things. Think on these things. . . . The
time has come for my withdrawal. I will
ask the Messenger to bless your life and
work. You are a soldier too. Your life
will bring you many opportunities. You
will be protected, safeguarded, illumined.
Should it be your fate to come across to this
region soon, I will try to meet you. I may
be useful. But I do not think you are com-
ing yet. I have said so much about myself !
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Only now, as I am leaving, do I speak of
you. Forgive me. Once more, my friend, I
thank you. I owe you more than I can re-
pay. In some special manner you have
buoyed up my faith when it would have
failed me otherwise. God grant you under-
standing. God grant you peace. Good-
bye.
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NOTE BY W. T. P.
I have not heard again from my friend.
He has evidently passed beyond my ken.
Probably he is already free from earth con-
ditions and has entered upon the pilgrim-
age of selfless service.
I can quite believe that this is possible.
His nature was au fond humble and child-
like. The humility of the man was indeed
very splendid. I hope we may meet again
some day.
There are several points in his narrative
worthy of comment. I must treat the whole
experience as real. Otherwise it would not
have been worth while setting down. To
me, my communications with Thomas Dowd-
ing were so real that he seemed to be in the
room sitting at my elbow, prompting my
pen. I know there have been many books
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written containing messages, said to have
been passed down from another plane of ex-
istence. One cannot doubt the possibility
of “ spirit communion,” as it is often called.
It seems to me that there can be no final
proof concerning these matters. One must
be guided by the interior worth of the mes-
sages themselves. I tell you, for instance,
that I am satisfied I have been speaking with
a soldier who was killed in battle seven
months ago. I have set down the experi-
ence in writing exactly as it came to me. I
cannot, however, prove the genuineness of
the experience to any one else. I cannot
even prove it finally to myself.
I will now comment upon Thomas Dowd-
mg’s statements and beliefs, in the search
for interior evidences of their genuineness.
It is evident that these messages come from
a mind in a state of consciousness not far
removed from earthly existence, and not
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from any more spiritual source. I believe
that the messages set down in a little book
called Christ in You were received inspira-
tionally in a manner akin to the experiences
with which we are now dealing. The in-
terior evidence of the Christ in You com-
munications certainly points to their being
genuine. The spirit of truth breathes from
these pages, and therefore their actual
source is a matter of little moment. Can
the same be said of the messages from
Thomas Dowding? They belong to a differ-
ent order of communication and must be
considered in the light of their own internal
worth.
In the first place, Dowding, or whoever is
speaking, has no very clear idea of what
truth is. He emphasizes the fact that he
knows nothing. He passes on the informa-
tion he receives from the “ Messenger ” and
the “angel,” but he cannot very often en-
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dorse the truth of such information in the
light of his own experience. In one place,
he says he is helping to “ free himself ”
(presumably from ignorance) by passing on
the details of his life. As the record pro-
ceeds, one is forced to the conclusion that
our friend finds the shackles dropping from
him. The tone of his remarks begins to
change. A new and more spiritual note be-
comes apparent. He takes more interest in
what the Messenger tells him.
He realizes more and more the worthless-
ness of human “ knowledge,” and proceeds
to empty his mind, that it may begin to re-
flect spiritual rather than earthly ideas. In
a way, his humility and his confidence grow
together, yet a certain diffidence is notice-
able right to the end.
One does not know why he felt impelled to
communicate with earth, nor why he chose
to “speak” to one who was an entire
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stranger to him. He does not seem to think
that doubt will be cast upon his story; in-
deed, he goes out of his way to say that my
imagination has been “ chained,” and that
his ideas are correctly taken down. The
Messenger warns our friend against com-
municating with earth at all. “Do you
know that most of what you have conveyed
to your friend at the matter end of the line
is quite illusory? ” This is a very perturb-
ing thought to Private Dowding, but he is
told that he will gradually discover the
truth of what the Messenger tells him. To-
wards the end he does begin to disentangle
that which is real in his life from the unreal,
and does his best to tell us how he reaches
his conclusions. On this point his final dic-
tum is this : “ Live above all those conditions
that appear to you, after much meditation,
to be illusory.” He is forced to the con-
clusion that very little of his own earth life
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or of his present life can be termed “ real ”
in any final sense. Nevertheless, his faith
in a spiritual life gradually grows, until he
is able to exclaim : “ There is something that
lives and moves in me that is not illusion.
\
That something will forge its way out into
the light some day.”
It will be noted that I have called my
friend Thomas Dowding. It is very diffi-
cult to get through names correctly. Dowd-
ing may have been our friend’s earth label,
but I doubt if it is a matter of any impor-
tance. The only name he himself mention's
is that of William, belonging to his brother,
who meets him on the “ other side.” Names
are evidently of no moment over there.
Finally, let me say a few words on the
teaching that comes to our friend as he
wanders about seeking for truth. To my
mind, there is much of value and real beauty
in the spiritual lessons conveyed to him by
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the personage he calls the “Messenger.”
Evidently only fragments of these messages
have been passed on to us. I think our
friend was unable to grasp the import of a
great deal he was told, and feared to pass it
on. Evidently he originates no teaching
himself and is careful to point this out. He
says : “ I cannot pretend to preach or teach-.
... I am not sure of my own faith yet.”
Then he goes on to explain why he feels it his
duty to pass on the teaching of the angel
and the Messenger. Personally, I consider
that this teaching, whatever its actual
source may be, is well worth careful atten-
tion and study. It certainly does not
emanate from my own mind, conscious or
subconscious — that is, so far as one is in a
position to judge. I realize that the myster-
ies of the subliminal and subconscious
regions are still beyond our grasp.
Because of this, I say, study the teaching
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itself. Accept or reject it according to its
own interior worth. Again and again I
would urge the importance of studying the
teaching in its relation to life as we now
know it. Except in that aspect, no such
communication from the other side can have
any practical value.
Do not confuse the teaching with the
simple record of Private Dowding’s sur-
roundings. He tells us that from the stand-
point of the Messenger the value of the mes-
sages depends upon the emphasis placed
upon the fact of the impermanence of the
conditions described, and it must never be
forgotten, if the teaching in this narrative
seems incomplete, that Private Dowding
does not pretend to teach. He himself is
still seeking, and that somewhat blindly.
He says he knows nothing. His was not an
enlightened soul. He passes on fragments
of a teaching which he only dimly under-
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PRIVATE DOWDING
stands, and the value of these fragments to
us must lie in our reading of their deeper
meaning in relation to our own lives.
If his loneliness is not at first understood,
we have to bear in mind that he made no
profession of faith here, and consequently
his vision of higher things must have been
very dim on crossing over. It may be that
all those who are without an appreciation of
inner values, are, in a sense, in the same
spiritual loneliness, shut off as they are
from the perfect inviolable whole “by the
fragmentary bodily senses, and by the limi-
tations of the sense-intellect — that is to
say, by the intellect that recognizes only the
testimony supplied by the senses and rea-
sons from that alone .” 1 And probably the
“ fog of our own creating ” is but the dark
veil of separateness arising from this blind-
ness of the soul. The man who lacks rever-
i J. Bruce Wallace In Brotherhood.
70
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THE AWAKENING
ence is blind, for if he could see, he would
have reverence; and the man who does not
love is blind, for if he could see, he would
love. In the Hall of Best there came peace,
and in the Hall of Silence there came under-
standing. These Halls are available to all
here and now. If we can but enter the Hall
of Best, the senses are stilled, and we can
then enter into the Silence, there to hear the
“still small voice,” and to understand.
“ Somewhere within the soul,” we are told,
“ there is silence. Attain unto it. It is a
pearl of great price.” To enter into the Si-
lence, to have vision, is necessarily to have
reverence, to love, and to serve.
He urges us to control our affairs from
without, to live widely, to pour ourselves
away, not to live for self. “ The spiritual
world is everywhere; the life of spirit is
eternal, perfect, supreme.” “The Christ
spirit is everywhere, and yet, by some
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PRIVATE DOWDING
strange paradox, we are able to shut it out
from our view.” “We are unable,” says
Private Dowding, “to clear out our own
poor thoughts and illusions and allow the
Christ power to reflect through us.” And
here the remark, “ You evidently know noth-
ing about crystals. I cannot impress your
mind with the wonders of this place,” is of
far-reaching interest as indicating the need
of the faculty of understanding before the
interior realization of any truth becomes
possible.
In the presence of the “powers of dark-
ness ” he finds it necessary to empty himself
of self. “ Gain control of self,” he tells us,
“then retain control by emptying yourself
of self.” On the Mount of Vision the Reser-
voirs of Illumination nearly blind him. He
says : “ I feel I cannot, dare not, return. I
cannot unself myself sufficiently.” In the
first of these experiences, the self he speaks
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THE AWAKENING
of, the self that is illusion, the sense-self, is
drawn by the lure of the power of evil, and
in the other it is blinded by the Light of the
Reservoirs of Illumination. He returns to
his “ own place alone, by the force of an in-
terior gravity.” There is nothing indefinite,
and there is much to ponder over in these ex-
periences. We are told with the same cer-
tainty that vast spiritual purifying powers
are waiting to be poured forth. “ Create
vessels for this purpose,” says Private
Dowding. “ Make yourself a vessel that
you may receive the gift of the spirit. . . .
Retire into the Hall of Silence. Think on
these things. Think on these things.” It
is difficult to place too high a value on this
teaching.
On page 55 he says, “ I ask you to mark
the Messenger’s words. He spoke of what
he knew. Let his words blaze forth a chan-
nel through the minds of men. I ask this
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PRIVATE DOWDING
of you : to make them known.” What is it
that he is so definitely anxious to make
known? The message of the existence of
Reservoirs of Light of the uttering of the
Word, of the illumination about to spread
through East and West, or of the establish-
ment of unity and universal peace? Per-
haps all of these things. And whether the
Reservoirs of Illumination be the latent but
unawakened and therefore unexpressed
spiritual strength and capacity of the races
we cannot tell, but the uttering of the Word
and the coming of the Revealer of the Word
brings illumination nevertheless surely to
the hearts of men.
It is true that great spiritual movements
were initiated last century. One of the
most remarkable of these has centred in the
East round the Persian prophet Baha’u’llah.
This Messenger of God has returned to his
own high place, but his message of brother-
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THE AWAKENING
hood and love begins to stir the hearts of
men. Many of his prophecies have already
been fulfilled. The ideals of unity and
brotherhood for which he stood are spread-
ing widely, despite the war. His Book
of Laws remains to be made known to
the world, but the inspiration which called
it forth is certainly divine in origin. Baha’-
u’llah’s son, the explainer of the message,
whose name is Abdul Baha (servant of
God), still dwells among men, controlling
and directing the promulgation of a spirit-
ual movement that seems likely to encircle
the globe with the great ideal of unity.
And in the West there is, among others, the
wonderful spiritual movement known as
Christian Science. It is perhaps the most
remarkable religious revival initiated dur-
ing last century in the Western world, and
its growth and influence, particularly in
America, is little short of marvellous.
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PRIVATE DOWDING
The Messenger tells ns that the light
dawns within individuals first, and that its
radiance spreads, that outwardly its influ-
ence will show itself in many great reforms,
and that “ great lamps will shine forth in
East and West.” And again I would say
in Private Dowding’s words: “Vast spirit-
ual powers are waiting to be poured forth.
Create vessels for this purpose. Make your-
self a vessel that you may receive the gift of
the spirit.” And I would close by repeating
what he says with reference to love, which,
in my opinion, seals the whole experience
with the stamp of truth. “If you would
dwell in peace, learn to love deeply. Never
cease loving. Love God by pouring yourself
away. Love your fellows by giving them all
you possess of light and truth. Love love
for her own blessed sake. Such love will
bring you nearer heaven.” W T P
Bournemouth,
1 <*th March 1917.
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PART III
THE MESSENGER
Dk :ed by LjOOQle
The Spirit will re-illumine all religious faiths. The
new religion will be one of Service and Fellowship
and Unity.
The Messenger.
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THE MESSENGER
20 th March 1917, 8 p.m.
N OT long after Private Dowding’s
farewell visit, it began to dawn
npon me that, as he could not re-
turn himself, he was trying to set up direct
communication between the being whom he
called the “ Messenger ” and myself.
I have therefore held myself receptive in
the hope of securing some further news of
my friend, and I now set down the message
that has reached me. I will reserve com-
ment until later. . . .
Yes, I am the Messenger, and am speaking
to you at your friend’s special request. He
will not be able to communicate with you
again.
W- T. P. Why is this?
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PRIVATE DOWDING
Messenger. Because he has many lessons
to learn and much work to do. Continued
contact with earthly conditions would have
a disturbing effect and hinder his advance-
ment and growth.
He had already given you all the informa-
tion available from his lips at the present
juncture.
W. T. P. May -I ask a few questions?
Messenger. I am here to answer them.
W. T. P. Do you really see brighter times
ahead for the human race?
Messenger. My son, you need have no
fear. Your world is now plunged in grief
and chaos. The hour is dark, the outlook
strangely gloomy. We can see the light be-
hind the thunder-clouds. Improvement in
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THE MESSENGER
world-conditions is already taking place de-
spite the war. Next year there will be a
further rending of the veils, and in 1919 the
light will stream into human consciousness
through many channels. Few kings will be
left in Europe or, for that matter, anywhere.
Russia will lead her people toward peace
and joyful emancipation. The illumination
of a New Day will be reflected in the soul of
the Slavonic race and will become apparent
everywhere. In time the dawn will break
over Germany and the Northern peoples,
sweeping before it the cruel darkness of
ignorance and despotism.
Tribulation will be great; revolutions
must be expected, but nothing can with-
stand the light. Vast changes lie ahead of
South-Western Russia, Austria-Hungary,
the Balkan Peninsula. Were I to tell you
of these miracles, you would not credit them.
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PRIVATE DOWDING
We see regeneration in Persia, transforma-
tion in India ; spiritual uprisings in the Far
East and new discoveries; revolutionary
events in the New World, North and South;
but the light grows and grows.
France rises again, purified, uplifted, and
becomes the inspirer of the world in arts
and sciences. Ireland comes into her own
at last and becomes the cradle for great men
and women. England joins hands with
many nations in raising the standard of
unity and fellowship among the peoples of
the world. She will be palled upon to make
immense sacrifices in East and West, but she
grows to a new greatness through her acts
of renunciation.
Democratic republics rule the world with
free and peaceful intercourse between the
nations. Peace does not come into her own
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THE MESSENGER
immediately, but the floodgates of God’s love
have been opened, and the divine power is
for all nations.
Fear not the breaking down of barriers
everywhere. Make the paths straight;!
The Lord of lords is destined to make a di-
vine progress, and the ways must be pre-
pared.
W. T. P. This is all very wonderful in-
deed.
How will this new spiritual radiance
make itself manifest?
Messenger. You are already witnessing
its leavening power. The world is not in
such darkness as it was even five years ago,
and this despite the warring of the nations.
The light dawns within individuals first and
then the radiance spreads. Outwardly its
influence will show itself in many great re-
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PRIVATE DOWDING
forms. The drinking of alcohol will cease.
This, when it becomes world-wide, as it will,
will bring with it a flood of well-being. The
very air itself will become purer. Climates
will improve; disasters caused by earth-
quake, sea, and air'will diminish; but there
will be cataclysms first. Conflicts between -
religions will cease, the bitterness of sect
will die away.
Women will hold equal rights with men.
Great women, inspirers of the race, will rise
up in East and West. Diseases — physical,
mental, political, social — will gradually
disappear. This must sound incredible to
you. Remember that a spiritual remedy is
becoming available for all human sins and
discords. It will veritably prove the elixir
of the new age and will be within reach of
all mankind. The Christ spirit will dwell
among men with healing in its wings.
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THE MESSENGER
W. T. P. Shall I live on earth to witness
these stupendous happenings?
Messenger. Your children and your chil-
dren’s children will be in a position to prove
the truth of all I tell you. Prepare sancti-
fied vestments that we may send high and
holy souls into the world to wear them.
W. T. P. Why do you tell me all this?
Messenger. Eyes must be opened; ears
must be attuned to the message of the com-
ing day. Knowledge of the joy and peace
that lie ahead will help you through these
days of sore distress. By a consecrated act
of faith bring understanding and whole-
ness into your own life and the lives of those
around you.
W. T. P. Will the barriers between this
world and the next be broken down?
85
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PRIVATE DOWDING
Messenger. The veils are already thin-
ning. As the race becomes regenerated
from within, all need for barriers will disap-
pear, and death will lose its awful sting.
Already we can reach you more surely
than ever before in human history.
The piercing of the veils must come about
through spiritual and natural processes of
mind and heart, and not through the em-
ployment of magic, ritual, or trance.
W. T. P. Will a new religion become
necessary?
Messenger. The spirit will re-illumine
all religious faiths. The new religion will
be one of service and fellowship and unity.
The standard of this world-wide faith has
been set up in Persia. In days to come,
Persia will regain her ancient glories.
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THE MESSENGER
W. T. P. And Egypt?
Messenger. The great land of the Phar-
aohs has still a part to play in the evolution
of the race, but it may not be through Brit-
ish influence. There are vast preparations
now being made for the enlightened prog-
ress of the whole Moslem world. The disin-
tegration of Turkey must first take place.
In Europe there will he three great feder-
ations of states. These federations will
come to birth naturally and without blood-
shed, but Armageddon must first be fought
out.
W. T. P. How long will this take?
Messenger. I am not a very high being,
and to me are not revealed details of all
these wonderful happenings. So far as I
am allowed to see, peace will be re-estab-
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PRIVATE DOWDING
lished during 1919, and world-federations
will come into being during the following
seven years.
Although actual fighting may end in 1918,
it will take many years to bring poise and
peace into actual and permanent being.
W. T. P. Who are you?
Messenger. I am one of those com-
manded to direct the new illumination into
the avenues leading down towards the
hearts and minds of men. I greet and pro-
tect certain souls, chosen for special work,
as they reach this shore.
W. T. P. Was Thomas Dowding one of
them?
Messenger. We met by what you would
call “ accident.” He is making quick prog-
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THE MESSENGER
ress, and his power of service to his fellow-
men will be great. It is often the most un-
expected people who are chosen for impor-
tant work
W. T. P. What about the Far East?
Messenger. A great leader rises up in the
time to come, and will avert many dangers.
This one is already expected, and will bring
about moral and social progress in China
and elsewhere. The flames now visible be-
tween the Orient and the Northern hemis-
phere of the New World will be transmuted,
purified, and harnessed to fine ends.
W. T. P. America?
Messenger. Her hour of tribulation is at
hand. A splendid destiny will come into
view. So long as material wealth remains
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PRIVATE DOWDING
the idol, so long will the light he held back.
You must expect revolutions of a peculiar
order at no distant date.
TV. T. P. May we return to Germany?
Messenger. Already the world faintly
perceives the probable progress of events in
that great land. Germany as an empire
ceases to exist, but as a federation of inde-
pendent states her future and ultimate well-
being are assured. The days are still dark,
but remember this : the greater the darkness
of the night the greater the brilliance of the
dawn.
TV. T. P. And how are all these wonders
to be brought about? Are we to expect
prophets and teachers in our midst?
Messenger. Great lamps will shine forth
in East and West. The period of revela-
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THE MESSENGER
tions is upon yon. The light is for the
whole race, but individuals must reflect it
within themselves, that it mav become read-
ily available for all.
Rise up and proclaim the dawn of the
New Day! You can all become prophets
and seers in this new dispensation. “ The
people that walked in darkness have seen a
great light; they that dwell in the land of
the shadow of death, upon them hath the
light shined.”
Physical birth and death are not for ever.
Generation and dissolution as known to you
will be transformed, transfigured. Herein
dwelleth a mystery that cannot yet be un-
veiled. The road to its unveiling is the
pathway of spotless purity.
TP. T. P. Will your words be understood
or believed?
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PRIVATE DOWDING
Messenger. The wonders soon to be re-
wealed are such that the peoples’ vision will
become unclouded and the sun’s rays will
shine through the minds and hearts of men
and women. Then belief will become un-
derstanding.
W. T. P. What about social evils and in-
justices, poverty and ignorance, lust and
greed? Can all these become transmuted?
Messenger. My son, have faith. Realize
that the love of God is indeed all-powerful.
The Golden Age will not be ushered in in the
twinkling of an eye, as is thought by some.
The law of evolution must be respected and
cannot yet be overruled.
Extremes of wealth and poverty will dis-
appear. Yes, this is so. The war itself has
become a “celestial instrument,” as you
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THE MESSENGER
have already been told. Governments will
become simpler, less unwieldy, localized,
filled with the ideals of justice and brother-
hood.
The Oneness of Humanity, as emphasized
by the great prophet who manifested last
century, will become recognized, and as a re-
sult of this, vast reforms, social and ethical,
will gradually be introduced throughout the
whole world.
W. T. P. What about food?
Messenger. Grossness will disappear.
The race will learn to live more simply on
the blessed fruits and herbs and cereals.
Unless the race learns this important lesson,
it will be found that the earth cannot sup-
port the populations now inhabiting it.
Over-eating and over-indulgence in the
sense desires must cease.
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PRIVATE DOWDING
The inspiration of the spiritual in life will
take away the need for the domination of
the grosser appetites. Set the example!
Fight the good fight ! Increase your faith.
To the God-endowed man all things are pos-
sible.
W. T. P. Your utterances are so utopian
that I fear it is impossible to secure a fair
hearing for them.
Messenger. Compare 1817 with 1917.
Compare 1900 with 2000 a. d. The latter
comparison is only possible through the ex-
ercise of faith and vision. All that I have
foreshadowed will have become established
before the year 2000 a. d. My son, I give
you my blessing and wish you God-speed.
Good-bye.
N.B . — I have set down these very uto-
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THE MESSENGER
pian sentiments and prophecies exactly as
they flowed through my pen ; but, although I
am an optimist, I find it difficult to believe
that the race is nearing the realization of
all its ideals like this.
It is impossible for me to guess at the
identity of this visitor. In taking down his
message, I adopted the same methods as on
previous occasions, making my mind a blank
and allowing my thoughts to be moulded by
an influence from outside myself. Here
again imagination may prove responsible.
Imagination of a subconscious order is cap-
able of playing strange tricks with the mind.
The prophecies are interesting despite
their vagueness and extreme optimism. It
is useless for me to do more than place them
before my readers, and allow time to set its
seal of truth or falsity upon them. Cer-
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PBIVATE DOWDING
tainly we live in strange times, when all
things are possible, when even the wildest
dreams are being fulfilled before our eyes.
.W. T. P.
Bournemouth,
20th March 1917.
LAUS DBO
96
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INDEX
America, hour of tribulation and destiny, 89
Angel of light, protected by an, 46
Awakening, the, 5
BahaVllab, Persian prophet, 74
Battlefield, the, 12
Body, new b. seems similar to old, 12
Books, appealed more than life, 21
Brother, meeting with, 16
could not get near, 17
Child, a little c. shall lead them, 43
Christ power, reflected through us, 37, 72
clears away illusion, 38
Christ sphere, everywhere, 36
we shut it out from view, 36
Messenger came from the, 36
Christ spirit, is everywhere, 71
will dwell among men, 84
Communication, channel of, 3, 34, 35, 62
Conditions beyond cannot be described in words, 17
Conscious being, after death, 9
Cycle, of human life, 41
Death, extinction feared, 5, 8
physical d. is nothing, 6
illusion of, 7
97
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INDEX
no horror, 7
physical d. not a shock, 8
shock comes with comprehension, 8
no pain in, 9
beginning of new life, 9
felt free and light, 11
experiences after, 12, 17, 18
Disease, disappearance of, 84
Dying, a small incident, 7
Earth, seems a long way off, 22
Earthly happenings, we overestimate, significance of,
4
East and West, illumination to spread through, 74
great lamps will shine in, 90
Editor, surrounds himself with earthly conditions, 22
divines the world's news, 22, 28
mastered by worldly interests, 25
Egypt, part in evolution of race, 87
Empty yourself if you would be filled, 43
yourself to retain control, 50, 72
Europe, federations of States, 87
Evsnts, important once, 4
Evil, the illusion of, 46, 59
power of e. transmuted, 46, 59
attraction of, 47
Bvolutipn, law of, 92
Faculties, new, 14, 15
Faith, by f. bring understanding, 85
Far East, a great leader will arise, 89
98
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INDEX
Fear, chain of, 51
destroyed by love, 52
put f. behind you, 57
opposed to life, 57
Fog, of own creation, 37, 70
France, rises purified, 82
Freedom, sense of real, 14
Generation and dissolution will be transformed, 91
Germany, Empire will cease to exist, 90
her future assured, 90
God, Still small voice of, 44, 71
love God by pouring yourself away, 70
Golden Era, 55
Government, ideals of justice and brotherhood, 93
Gravity, spiritual law of, 51
Halls of Rest and Silence, 17, 18, 27, 42, 43, 70, 73
Hell a thought region, 45
existence depends on human thoughts, 49
Hell of the senses, 48, 49
Humanity, oneness of, 93
Human Knowledge, worthlessness of, 21, 37, 65
Human Life, but a shadow, 39
Ideas, seen as they assume form, 14
Illumination, Reservoirs of, 53, 72, 73
Illusion, 27, 29, 36, 37, 57, 58
of material forces, 38
live above conditions which appear illusory, 59, 66
there is something that is not, 30, 67
99
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INDEX
Illusions, created by our thoughts, 36
much to unlearn, 43
Imagination, 3, 16
Isolated, don’t get, 21
Lamps, great L. will shine in East and West, 76, 90
Life, feared, 6
all pertaining to bodily 1. receded, 13
a wider, truer, 29
Pilgrimage of, 40
Life after death, strangely similar to earth life, 15
work among the newly arrived, 17
difficulty of conveying experiences, 17, 18
Life of Spirit, eternal, perfect, supreme, 36
Light, we hide from the, 36
Reservoirs of, 38, 53, 74
dawns first in individuals, 83
Live widely, 21
more simply, 93
Loneliness, after death, 13, 70
emanates from oneself, 20
of life and character, 20
dangerous to live for oneself, 21
Love, should be lived, 58
God by pouring yourself away, 58, 76
your fellows by giving, 58, 76
Love for her own blessed sake, 58, 76
of God is all powerful, 92
Material forces, impotent clash of, 38
Memory, numb just after death, 11
Messenger, the, 27, 35, 42, 53, 56, 79
100
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INDEX
Misconceptions, we surround ourselves with, 36
Moslem world, enlightened progress of, 87
Most High, prophets of the, 53
Peace, universal, 55
Persia, to regain her ancient glories, 86
Physical body, a garment, 9
Pilgrimage of life, 40
Prophecies and revelations, period of, 39
Prophet, of the most High, 53
Purgatory, each creates his own, 25, 26
meaning of, 50
Reading, don’t read too much, 21
Recluse, life of r. unwise except for few, 21
Reflections, 11
Reforms, social and ethical, 83, 93
Regeneration, of States, 80, 81, 82
Regrets, no regrets, 22
Religion, cannot live without it, 37
of service, fellowship and unity, 86
Reservoirs, of spiritual power, 38
of light, 38, 53, 74
Rest Halls, for newly-arrived pilgrims, 17
confusion drops away, 17
fountain plays music, colour, harmony, bliss, 18
all discordances vanish, 18
crystal formations, 18
see also, 27, 71
Revelation, comes from within, 60
Revelations, period of, 39, 60
101
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INDEX
Revival, a spiritual, 54
Russia, emancipation of, 81
Schoolmaster, 8
Self, surrender of whole, 43
need to empty self of, 47
control of, 50, 72
emptying yourself of, 51
Sensations, new, 13
Sense desires, over-indulgence must cease, 03, 94
Service, pilgrimage of selfless, 61
Silence, somewhere within the soul there is, 43
a pearl of great price, 43
Silence, Hall of, 42, 43, 71, 73
strength and consolation found in, 42
Slavonic race, 81
Spirit, life of s. is eternal, perfect, supreme, 71
“ Spirit communion,” 63
Spiritual communication, necessity for, 5
Spiritual in life, inspiration of the, 94
Spiritual law, of gravity, 51
Spiritual world, everywhere, 36, 71
Stagnation, forest of, 48
most insidious kind of hell, 48
Time, an illusion, 42
Transition, 4
Transmutation of evil, 46
Truth, one great, 43
Turkey, disintegration of, 87
102
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INDEX
Understanding, need of faculty of, 72
Unity* to become established, 54
Vacuum, spiritual power poured into, 38
Value of messages, 36
Veils, piercing of the, 86
Vision, Mount of, 53
to have v. is to have reverence, 71
War, cause of, 37
based upon Illusion, 37
turned into celestial instrument, 38
changes to follow after, 81
Water of Life, released at God’s command, 39
already available to many, 39
Wealth, lust for w. real cause of war, 37
Wealth and poverty, 92
“ Word,” The, 39, 54
Women, inspirers of the race, 84
World conditions, 80, 81
103
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by retaining it beyond the specified
time.
Please return promptly.
m is
JUN -9 /93 q
JUM 23 1930
Live Music
Archive
Librivox
Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland
Museum of Art
Internet
Arcade
Console Living Room
Open Library
American
Libraries
TV News
Understanding
9/11